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Call for Proposals

Call for Proposals for Joint Ventures in the Field of Combating Antisemitism and the Delegitimization of Israel

In recent years, and more so since October 7, the State of Israel and Jewish communities have experienced a dramatic increase in the scope of antisemitism and in attempts to harm Israel’s international standing in global public opinion. In light of the efforts of civil society organizations in various arenas around the world, a strategic approach is required that at its core has a more effective connection between key players and catalysts from civil society and the Jewish world.

The venture is a joint venture of the Ministry of Diaspora and the fight against antisemitism with Maccabi World Union (hereinafter, the “Venture”) and any engagement with proposing organizations is subject to an agreement with the Ministry.

The Venture operates within a defined budget and within this framework will strive to maintain collaborations with civil society organizations to carry out a variety of activities in the physical and digital space. The Venture also strives to improve and develop collaborations between various organizations operating in this field.

The selection of proposals subject to this call for proposals will be based, among other things, on compatibility with the Venture’s objectives, assessment of the quality of the submitters of proposals and the proposals, their chances of success and their effectiveness, etc., as detailed below.

The Venture and its objectives

The goal of the Venture is to carry out not for profit projects and activities to combat antisemitism in all its forms and from all perpetrators, including combating delegitimization, and strengthening the resilience of Jewish communities in the Diaspora while strengthening the international status of the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, including through:

  1. Reducing the capacity for offensive action by the perpetrators of antisemitism and delegitimization;
  2. Enhancing the effectiveness and coordination of organizations active in the various arenas;
  3. Reducing the online spread of antisemitism and delegitimization of Israel by exposing sources of disinformation, propaganda, and incitement that are published online and in the news media, improving the speed of response in removing content, and strengthening activity against the spread of fake news;
  4. Refuting the narrative that anti-Israelism represents the majority positions in liberal democracies in the West (shattering the “collective illusion”) in these arenas;
  5. Encouraging proactive activity by the pro-Israel network in these arenas, including promoting coherent narratives and coordination between the actors, including by improving capabilities and training;
  6. Improving the ability to identify and measure diverse expressions of antisemitism and promoting technological collaborations;
  7. Improving balance, accuracy, and context in international coverage of Israel, the conflict, and Jewish communities;
  8. Any other activity that is consistent with the goal of the Venture and provides an effective response to the challenges facing the State of Israel in the arenas of consciousness, academia.

Submission of proposals

Proposals submitted under this call for proposals must engage in the activities detailed in the professional areas of action, which are attached as appendices to this call for proposals and which will be updated from time to time. Organizations will submit project proposals, along with a detailed program for the proposed activity, via the online form.

  1. Proposals will be submitted in Hebrew or English and will include all the information that appears in this call for proposals.
  2. Proposals must include all the information, including a budget proposal in an editable Excel format, that appears in Appendix 2 of the call for proposals.
  3. An organization may submit more than one proposal, however, within the framework of this Venture an organization may not receive financing exceeding NIS 3 million in total for all the projects (NIS 1.5 million from each party). As part of its proposal, the organization is required to provide details regarding additional activities proposed or funded by this project.

Threshold conditions:

  1. The organization is a not for profit organization.
  2. The organization will provide 50% of the financing for the implementation of the Venture from non-governmental sources and at least NIS 150,000 per project.
  3. The organization does not receive financing from the Ministry directly, or indirectly through entities working with the Ministry, including through this Venture.
  4. The total scope of the Venture does not exceed NIS 3 million (NIS 1.5 from each party).
  5. The organization has at least three years of experience in the professional fields of operation for which the project was submitted, or alternatively, the organization was established after the outbreak of the “Iron Swords” War with the aim of assisting the State of Israel in its efforts against delegitimization and has operated for at least a year in these fields of operation.
  6. The organization has proven financial strength, with an operating turnover of at least NIS 500,000 in 2024 or approval of a donation or dedicated commitment in the scope of the budget requested from the Venture.
  7. The organization keeps its books duly in order and holds all the required permits under the Public Bodies Transactions Law, 5733 - 1976. Should the submitter of a proposal be a corporation, it is to be duly registered in Israel or in its country of origin in the relevant official register.
  8. Compliance with the provisions of all applicable laws – in accordance with the proposed program, including licenses or permits required for the implementation of the proposed program.

Criteria for the decision, prioritization and approval of programs:

Programs will be selected based on their compatibility with the Venture’s goals and their compliance with the following criteria and priorities, and taking into account the budget allocated for this call for proposals. Additional details appear in the professional appendices to the call for proposals.

  1. Quality of the submitting organization (20%) – experience, relevance to the field in which the program deals, ability to execute projects and programs, and proven financing capacity.
  2. Quality of the proposed program (25%) – the degree to which the program meets the professional areas of action of this call for proposals, including: suitability for the target audiences, selection of the areas of activity, definition of outputs, clear and achievable indicators and goals, a quality program of action, ability to meet objectives at a high-level.
  3. Activity that significantly increases or fundamentally changes the existing reality (15%) – ability to influence, creativity of the program and its innovation in the selected areas of activity.
  4. Applicable and measurable results (10%) – the estimated degree of effectiveness and impact of the program’s outputs and the ability to measure them.
  5. The ratio between the quality of the result and the scope of the expenditure (15%) – the reasonableness of the financial costs requested in the various sections of the proposal; the reasonableness of the ratio between the financial investment and the expected result.
  6. The professional team’s impression of the proposal and the seriousness of the organization (15%)

Proposal review process

  1. Only proposals that include activities that advance the goals of the Venture and that are not for profit will be considered.
  2. Only proposals in one of the defined professional areas of activity will be considered. The professional areas of activity will be updated from time to time.
  3. It is clarified that it will be possible at any stage to request from the submitters of proposals any additional required information, such as references, clarifications and supplementary data, however, this will not constitute negotiations with them. Furthermore, the fact that the Venture contacts any submitter of a proposal is not an indication that it intends to consider accepting or approving the proposal.
  4. The examination of the proposals will be done in stages, as described below:
    1. Initial examination - in this stage, the Venture reserves the right to suggest changes to the proposal (including the introduction of measurement, control and monitoring tools, such as accompanying studies, surveys, etc.), the purpose of which is to improve its quality and its suitability for this call for proposals. The proposing organization may accept or reject the suggestions. The performance of the program, if approved, will be the responsibility of the proposing organization.
    2. Submission of the final proposal by the proposing organization.
    3. Examination of the final proposal by a professional committee, consisting of representatives of the Ministry and representatives of Maccabi, and a resolution on the approval/rejection of the proposal.
    4. The professional committee on behalf of the Venture may approve the full program or part of it, the full amount requested or part of it, and all in accordance with the budget limitations and the Venture’s work program.
    5. After notification of approval of the proposal, a contract process will take place between Maccabi World Union and the submitter of a proposal.
    6. An organization whose proposal is approved will be required to sign an agreement, in the standard form, as a condition for implementing the program. The agreement will outline the milestones for reporting on the progress of implementation of the program and required reports.

The financing model

  1. This call for proposals is based on the joint venture between Maccabi and the Government of Israel, through the Ministry. The venture will finance up to 50% of the cost of a proposed program.
  2. A condition for approving the program and signing an agreement with Maccabi is providing proof of the ability to finance the program at a scope that will not be less than 50% of the cost of the program, by way of an affidavit by the proposing entity, signed by the authorized signatories of the proposing entity.
  3. The minimum threshold for a proposed program is NIS 300,000 and the maximum threshold for a proposed program is NIS 3,000,000 (with half of the sources of financing coming from the proposer).
  4. The program funds will be paid in accordance with the expenses actually incurred by the organization, with this being in accordance with the terms of the agreement that will be submitted to the organization for signature and subject to the presentation of documentation of the payment.
  5. The program funds will be designated for activities only and no overheads will be paid to the organization from out of the program budget.
  6. The program’s budget will not be designated for establishing the organization’s infrastructure, but rather for operational activities.
  7. The money will be transferred to the organization after the performance of the program, subject to the submission of performance reports, their approval by the Venture, and the receipt of financing from the State.
  8. Within the framework of this call for proposals, no financing will be provided for activities that are funded by the Ministry or any other government entity, directly or indirectly, including through the national institutions.
  9. Approval of activity will be subject to a budget being maintained in the Venture.

Advertising

The Venture and its partners reserve the right to publish on their digital assets the names and content of the approved programs that will receive financing under this call for proposals, as well as publishing through other means such as a summary of annual activity document, traditional media, and social media.

General terms and conditions

  1. The Venture may cancel, change or update this call for proposals at any time, in accordance with changing needs, and in such a case it will not be required to examine information or promote proposals for programs submitted to it prior to the cancellation.
  2. The Venture makes no commitment to contract with any of the submitters of proposals in this call for proposals.
  3. The contract term for carrying out the activities subject to this call for proposals will be in accordance with the approved contract term of the Venture (until February 2028).
  4. All expenses associated with submitting proposals for this call for proposals will be borne solely by the submitters of the proposals.

 

Appendices:

  1. Proposal Form

  2. Budget Format
  3. Form of the Agreement (soon…)
  4. Affidavit of Financing Sources Download
  5. Suggestions for Activity in the Digital and Communications Arena Download
  6. Suggestions for Activity in the Academic Arena Download
  7. Bids for Activities in the Cultural and Sports Arena Download
  8. Suggestions for Activities in the Education Arena Download
  9. Suggestions for Activities in the Interfaith and Community Arena Download